Device for changing rolls in horizontal rolling mills



y 13, 1965 0. ROY ETAL 3,194,046

DEVICE FOR CHANGING RoLLs IN HORIZONTAL ROLLING MILLS Filed Dec. 26, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 COLIN ROY AND REGINALDDENNIS wnwow THEIR ATTORNEY July 13, 1965 c. ROY ETAL 3,194,045

DEVICE FOR CHANGING ROLLS IN HORIZONTAL ROLLING MILLS Filed Dec. 26, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQRS Couu ROY AND REGINALD DENNIS Swmow THEIR ATTQRNEY July 13, 1965 c. ROY ETAL 3,194,046

DEVICE FOR CHANGING ROLLS IN HORIZONTAL ROLLING MILLS Filed Dec. 26, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 \NVENTORS Couu Rov Am REGINALODSWAIIOW T H R ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,194,046 DEVICE FUR CHANGING ROLLS IN HORIZONTAL ROLLING MILLS Colin Roy, Dronfield Woodhonse, near Sheiiield, and Reginald Dennis Swallow, Todwick, near Shefield, England, assignors to Davy and United Engineering Company Limited, Sheiiield, England Filed Dec. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 247,176 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Dec. 28, 1961, 46,418/ 61 3 Claims. (Cl. 72-238) This invention relates to rolling mills and in particular to arrangements for roll changing in rolling mills.

According to the invention a roll carriage for transporting rolls between a mill and a roll store is provided with steerable floor engaging wheels for free movement over the shop floor and further track engaging wheels for accurate positioning of the carriage at loading and unloading positions adjacent the mill and the store.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a roll carriage for transporting rolls between a mill and a roll store comprises a wheel-supported platform, to receive a roll assembly, attachment means movable along the platform for releasable connection with the roll assembly, and power-operated means on the carriage for driving the attachment means to move the assembly along the platform.

The invention will be more readily understood by way of example from the following description of a roll carriage and tracks therefor, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a roll carriage bearing a pair of work rolls;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view along the line II-H of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view of the latching mechanism of FIGURE 1 seen in the direction of the arrow III;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view showing part of one floor engaging wheel and one track wheel of a roll carriage;

FIGURES 5 and 6 show the track layout at the roll store and mill respectively;

FIGURE 7 is a side view on enlarged scale of the forward part of the carriage, showing the steering mechanism; and

FIGURE 8 is a section on the line VIIIVIII of FIG- URE 7.

The roll carriage shown in the drawings is particularly but not exclusively suited to carrying out roll changing operations in mills having roll assemblies of the type described in co-pending application No. 210,622, filed July 16, 1962, and illustrated diagrammatically at 7 in FIGURE 1. The roll assembly 7 comprises a pair of rolls 8 with inter-fitting chocks provided with wheels 9 engaging with projecting guide tracks in the mill so that the assembly 7 can slide or run as it is being entered into or withdrawn from the housing. The carriage comprises a support platform 10 carrying guide rails 11 on its upper surface and mounted on four wheel units 12, 13. Each of these wheel units comprises an inner wheel having a rubber tire 12 for use in free movement of the carriage over the shop floor and an outer flange type wheel 13 for engagement with the rails 14 (FIGURE 4) of guide tracks 15 (FIGURES 5 and 6) at each storage position of a roll store 16 and at the roll changing side of the mill 17. As can be seen from FIGURE 4 channels 18 are formed between the rails 14 of a guide track to receive the floor engaging wheels 12 clear of the bottom of the channels when the track wheels 13 engage the rails 14. The edges of the channels 18 are recessed to receive checquer plates 19 when the tracks are not being used.

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Motive power for the carriage and operating power for a ball screw shaft 20 used in loading and unloading is provided by electric batteries and an electric motor arrangement not shown in detail but housed in housing 31 at one end of the carriage. Control of the motor arr-angement is effected by an operator standing on an operators platform 32 projecting from the same end of the carriage.

The shaft 20 carries a recirculating ball nut of known form-21 which is attached to, or forms part of, a flat crosshead 22 of which opposite sides engage in slots23 and 24 formed respectively in two beams 25 and 26 which extend along the length of the carriage.

The crosshead 22 carries a member 27 about which is pivoted a latch member 28 which can engage with a cooperating slot 29 in a member 30 attached to the roll changing side chock of the roll assembly.

When the carriage is accurately located in a loading or unloading position on a track of the store (FIGURE 5) or in roll changing position at the side of the mill (FIGURE 6) the operator can transfer a roll assembly to the carriage by operating the motor rotating the shaft 20 until the latch member 28 is at the rear end of the carriage (the right-hand end as viewed in FIGURE 1). The guide rails 11 of the carriage align with the guide rails of the mill or similar guide rails of the store and, when member 28 is latched to the roll assembly 7 and the motor again operated, the assembly 7 is drawn along the rails on to the carriage for removal to the mill or roll store. Movement of the roll assembly 7 from the carriage to the mill or store is similarly effected.

At both the roll change position at the mill and the roll store, the shop floor is built up (FIGURE 4) to form a ramp in which the rails 14 and channels 18 are disposed, the bottoms of the channels 18 smoothly descending to a height a little lower than the general level of the surrounding floor so that there is a smooth transition from one set of wheels to the other.

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate the mechanism for steering the roll carriage when the latter is to run on the tires 12; in FIGURE 7, one of the front wheels 12 has been removed to show the steering mechanism. The front wheels 12 of the carriage are carried on stub axles pivoted by pins 36 to opposite ends of a shaft 37 which extends transversely beneath the carriage and is supported from the carriage by members 38. The stub shafts 35 are linked together by a link 40 pivoted at opposite ends to brackets 41 fast with the stub shafts, so that the stub shafts 35 pivot together about their respective pins 36.

Pivotal movement of stub shafts 35 is controlled by a hand wheel 42, on the upper extremity of a vertical shaft 43 carrying at its lower end a gear wheel 44 meshing with a segment pinion 45 which is fast with one of the stub shafts 35. Rotation of hand wheel 42 turns the pinion 45 and hence the adjacent stub shaft 35 about the pin 36 and thus causes steering of the forward wheels 12.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle and operation of our invention and have illustrated and described what we consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. However, we desire to have it understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

What we claim is:

1. In combination with a rolling mill including means for supporting a wheeled roll assembly when passing into and out of the mill, a roll assembly carriage having a wheel-supported platform, on the upper surface of which are tracks alignable with the Wheels of said roll assembly when said roll assembly is in the mill and in a position to be removed therefrom, attachment means carried by said carriage movable along the platform and releasably from the mill onto theroll assembly carriage and vice versa. 2

2. A roll carriage according to claim 1 in which'the attachment means comprises a' latch member adapted to latch on to the roll assembly and arranged for'movement I along the platform. a t a 3. A roll carriage accordingto claim 2 in which the latch member is secured to a nut on 'a threaded shaft extending alongithe platform and in rotary driving connection with the power-operated means.

References Cited by the Examiner 4 UNITED STATES PATENTS 'Fawellet al. 801.3 Philp 801 ,Carter 105215 Buente 801.3 Langen 254-106 Wegmann et al. 801

lQ CH RLES WfLANHAM, PrimaryfExam iner.

MICHAEL V.- BRINDISI, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A ROLLING MILL INCLUDING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A WHEELED ROLL ASSEMBLY WHEN PASSING INTO AND OUT OF THE MILL, A ROLL ASSEMBLY CARRIAGE HAVING A WHEEL-SUPPORTED PLATFORM, ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF WHICH ARE TRACKS ALIGNABLE WITH THE WHEELS OF SAID ROLL ASSEMBLY WHEN SAID ROLL ASSEMBLY IS IN THE MILL AND IN A POSITION TO BE REMOVED THEREFROM, ATTACHMENT MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CARRIAGE MOVABLE ALONG THE PLATFORM AND RELEASABLY ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID ROLL ASSEMBLY, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING THE ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING SAID ROLL ASSEMBLY FROM THE MILL ONTO THE ROLL ASSEMBLY CARRIAGE AND VICE VERSA. 